- The middle half earn between $18.82 and $40.07 an hour.
- Nevada is 48th of the 50 states with published figures, in the bottom ten for this trade.
- Nevada pays more than 1 of its 5 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 1,270 sheet metal workers on payrolls in Nevada.
- At the state median wage, a sheet metal or HVAC business needs to bill about $110.05 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Sheet Metal Worker pay in Nevada, bottom to top
Sheet metal workers fabricate and install ductwork, flashing, gutters and metal roofing parts, in a shop and on site.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.33 | $38,120 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $18.82 | $39,150 | $22.99 |
| Median | $22.47 | $46,730 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $40.07 | $83,340 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $58.53 | $121,730 | $50.79 |
| Average (mean) | $31.00 | $64,490 | $32.62 |
Pay spreads out a lot in Nevada. The bottom tenth earn $18.33 an hour or less while the top tenth earn $58.53 or more, a gap of 3.2 times against 2.7 nationally. Where a sheet metal worker sits on that range matters as much as the state.
The bottom of the scale is lower than nationally ($18.33 against $18.57) while the top is higher ($58.53 against $50.79), so the climb from new hire to top earner is longer here.
The average wage, $31.00, sits 38% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical sheet metal worker makes.
How Nevada compares with other states
Over a full year, the Nevada median of $46,730 is $15,070 less than the national $61,800.
In the state ranking, Nevada sits 48th, between Alabama ($22.85) and Idaho ($22.29). The range runs from $22.03 in Arkansas to $47.38 in Washington.
Against its neighboring states, Nevada is in the middle: Arizona, California, Oregon and Utah pay more, and Idaho pays less.
BLS wages are not adjusted for living costs. Lower pay often comes with lower housing costs, so the gap in take-home value can be smaller than the gap in wages.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Nevada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $22.47 | $46,730 | |
| Arizona | $24.16 | $50,260 | +$1.69 an hour |
| California | $36.82 | $76,590 | +$14.35 an hour |
| Idaho | $22.29 | $46,350 | −$0.18 an hour |
| Oregon | $35.46 | $73,750 | +$12.99 an hour |
| Utah | $30.36 | $63,140 | +$7.89 an hour |
How many sheet metal workers work in Nevada
About 1,270 sheet metal workers work on payrolls in Nevada, 1.1% of the 119,770 nationwide, the 33rd largest count among the states.
That is 0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in Nevada, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a sheet metal or HVAC business in Nevada should charge
A lower wage helps the price less than you might expect, because the overhead does not shrink with it. Here is a sheet metal or HVAC business in Nevada paying the state median of $22.47, on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers: 40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $22.47 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $50,313 |
| Break-even rate | ($50,313 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $93.54 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $93.54 ÷ 0.85 | $110.05 |
That is $110.05 per billable hour, 4.9 times the wage, and $12.71 less than the $122.76 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $40.07 in Nevada, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $140.96.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $18.82, the rate only drops to $103.64.
At this wage, overhead is most of the price: $60 of every billed hour goes to it before anyone is paid. Spreading the same overhead over more billable hours, with a second person or less drive time, brings the rate down fastest.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2211, sheet metal workers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: sheet metal worker salary by state.